Certain electric appliances comprise a plurality of components. In the case of domestic electrical appliances, an example is an ironing system such as disclosed in European Patent No. 0126530, which discloses a heatable ironing board and a heatable iron for use therewith, the control circuitry for both the board and the iron being contained within the board and powered from a common supply. A further arrangement is disclosed in W090/00642.
When such an appliance is initially switched on, electrical power is required to be supplied both to the board and to the iron and, where this occurs simultaneously, a heavy power requirement is imposed. In countries where the normal domestic power supply is rated at 240 volts or thereabouts, adequate power is available for this requirement. However, in countries where the normal domestic supply is only 110 volts or thereabouts, insufficient power may be available.